Review: The Weir at Harold Pinter Theatre

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Four Stars)

Conor McPherson’s The Weir returns to the London stage in a revival directed by the playwright himself that sees Brendan Gleeson make an impressive West End debut. First staged in 1997, the play remains a haunting, richly textured exploration of storytelling, ghosts, and community.

Set in a rural Irish pub over the course of a single evening, the play introduces us to a group of regulars: Jack (Brendan Gleeson), Jim (Seán McGinley), and pub owner Brendan (Owen McDonnell). With Guinness off the cards due to a faulty tap, they begrudgingly make do with bottled beer and more than a few “small ones” of spirits. The arrival of exuberant local businessman Finbar (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) and newcomer Valerie (Kate Phillips), who has recently relocated to the local area from metropolitan Dublin, sparks an evening of banter, bickering, ghost stories, and, ultimately, moments of unexpected vulnerability.

What The Weir lacks in conventional plot, it more than makes up for in atmosphere and character. McPherson’s direction leans into the naturalistic, allowing the audience to feel like another patron perched at the bar, eavesdropping on conversations with drink in hand. The writing impressively balances dry Irish wit with moments of eerie unease, peeling back layers of regret and loss, while leaning into themes of Irish folklore and tradition.

The cast of five is uniformly strong, each taking their turn to spin a yarn that reveals more about the teller than the supernatural, apart from Brendan the publican who mostly facilitates and ensures no glass stays empty for long. Gleeson gives a standout performance, commanding the stage as Jack. He holds the audience rapt, his initial gruffness and curmudgeonly humour slowly giving way to melancholy and loneliness as more of his story is revealed.

Rae Smith’s detailed set design, with its mismatched barstools, cluttered shelves, and timeworn photographs, authentically conjures the kind of pub where ordering a white wine earns a raised eyebrow and arrives in a pint glass. Meanwhile, Mark Henderson’s lighting, with its gentle warmth from lamps and the glow of a stove, adds to the atmosphere of intimacy.

Understated and deeply human, The Weir is a play about the power of storytelling and human connection, delivered in this revival by master storytellers in a production that is quietly enthralling.

The Weir runs at Harold Pinter Theatre until 6th December 2025.

Photos by Rich Gilligan